Friday, November 28, 2008

It took a while, but we finally convinced ourselves to buy that little waist-high chest freezer and stash it in an unobtrusive corner of the dining room. Garage = icky. Dining room = close by. Thankful.We ordered it from Sears on the Internet, and it instantly became available for pickup at our local outlet. Funny, because our local outlet seems to be the only Sears in the Bay Area that had the freezer on the premises. Thankful.It was really inexpensive. Thankful.And it works. Thankful! It's already hella cold, plugged into a stupid normal electric thingie.We are gradually moving "storage" items out of the refrigerator freezer, like tomato sauce and vegetable broth. The refrigerator freezer is now going to be useful, in that ice cube, bacon, dippy leftovers sort of way. Thankful.Today we simmered up a huge pot of turkey stock, which is headed for the new freezer as soon as it cools down. Way, way thankful.Just thought I might show you the "stuffing" we cooked yesterday. It's from a recipe in the New York Times, and it's inspired by the fabulous bread salad that accompanies the wood-fire roasted chicken at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Yep, vinegar and black pepper. Awesome.Thankful.

Heather: I would never post a photo of ugly old bread stuffing, if it hadn't been SO gorgeous. By accident. And I bought a D90 today, but haven't opened the box yet. Thankful.Chest freezer electricity = $26 a year! You Scrooge.

I have almost bought one of those so many times, but I just know that as soon as it's full there will be a power failure during a summer storm and that will be that. I had to clean a rotten bison heart out of a freezer that died a couple of summers ago, and it scarred me for life.

Seriously, you can forgo the pressure canner purchase for another year yet now. I *adore* my freezers despite the fact that they're quite hidden in the cold comfort of the basement. You will be quite happy with your new baby. Fill it with jugs of water until you get it filled with comestibles; it'll save you some $$.

Congrats on your new baby! They're awesome - I loved ours so much I wanted to store it at my parent's house when we moved, but LB said no, we would buy another one some day. I still miss it! That stuffing sounds amazing. Maybe I'll add that to my belated Thanksgiving list...

Oh, you beat me to it! I've been longing for a small one of those, but need to seriously clean out a space in my garage for it. In one of our houses growing up, my parents had a large chest freezer, plus an old ice cream freezer, plus an upright freezer!

Oh my gosh!! M and I were *just* fantasizing about when we would buy one of these and put yummy delicious soups and summer foods in it for the winter. We even saw it at Lowe's and I thought "surely I have enough money for this right now." But we're waiting. I guess I can live vicariously through you. Congrats on the purchase!

Anna: So you're all familiar with the economy and efficiency. Get in that there garage, now!

Zoomie: Just this morning we were swooning because we'll be able to freeze cooked beans now. The freezer doesn't seem to lend itself to snooty dishes, but I seldom eat snooty. Maybe some puff pastry. ;)

Era: It would depend on whether you're still harvesting summer produce, or buying it cheap at farmers markets. If not, I guess you'll be fine skipping it for the season. But everybody we talk to is so enthusiastic about it.

Kailyn: All you need, really, is a place to put it. Other than that, it's a no brainer. :)

Claudia: I've always harbored a suspicion that the camera I'm currently using is haunted. It had to go into the shop the first day I tried using it, and then again a few months later. I hope this new baby vaults me past my inhibitions. But thanks, dollie!Now, if you have a couple hundred bux (actually, just under) and a two-foot-square spot near an electric outlet, go get organized!! Good luck, it's so worth it.

Who She?

I live a couple of miles from the Marin County Civic Center Farmers' Market, which feeds my little blogging hobby. Hell, it feeds me, too.
Formerly employed, I'm now a bum. Happy bum. Tomato ranchin' bum.
But I'm still mad.